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Dave Hutchinson
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Europe at Midnight (The Fractured Europe Sequence Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Dave Hutchinson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 913 ratings
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NOMINATED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AND BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION AWARDS



In a fractured Europe, new nations are springing up everywhere, some literally overnight.

For an intelligence officer like Jim, it’s a nightmare. Every week or so a friendly power spawns a new and unknown national entity which may or may not be friendly to England’s interests. It’s hard to keep on top of it all. But things are about to get worse for Jim.

A stabbing on a London bus pitches him into a world where his intelligence service is preparing for war with another universe, and a man has come who may hold the key to unlocking Europe’s most jealously-guarded secret...
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  1. Book 2 of 4
    The Fractured Europe Sequence
  2. Print length
    246 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    November 5, 2015
  5. File size
    1059 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
913 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book has unexpected twists and double-crosses that keep them guessing. They describe it as an imaginative yet grounded sequel to the first in the series. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written, with a good mix of realistic and thoughtful intelligence work descriptions. The characters are described as cool and well-rendered. Overall, customers consider it one of the best new series to debut in recent years.

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TwistsSeries contentWriting qualityCharacter development
12 customers mention "Twists"9 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's unexpected twists and double-crosses. They describe it as an imaginative, exciting sci-fi/spy thriller mash-up with an interesting concept. The book takes the parallel worlds trope and does an amazing job with it. It is geopolitically relevant and well-written in a surreal yet familiar world.

"...Nevertheless, very enjoyable, well-written, a superb blend of spy novel and science fiction...." Read more

"Love this book series, it twists in ways I never expected and the characters are cool and well rendered...." Read more

"Interesting book, but I got into it less than book 1. The stories are connected but the books can be read independently." Read more

"Spies. Parallel universes. Sudden and unexpected twists. Time and perspective shifts — everything I liked about the first book, amplified...." Read more

5 customers mention "Series content"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the series content. They find it a worthy sequel to the first book, and one of the best new series debuting in recent years. The book is imaginative yet grounded in its approach to Fragile Europe.

"A worthy sequel to the first in the series: Do not attempt to read this as a stand-alone, it will make no sense at all...." Read more

"...That being said, this is still a wonderful series and I am looking forward to part three...." Read more

"...characters that are easy to identify with make this into one of best new series to debut in recent years." Read more

"...in a long time, and I'm thrilled that this highly imaginative yet grounded sequel approaches 'Fractured Europe' from an entirely different angle...." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find the characters well-revealed, with a good mix of realistic and thoughtful descriptions. The world-building is top-notch, combined with down-to-earth writing and multidimensional storytelling.

"...it twists in ways I never expected and the characters are cool and well rendered...." Read more

"...It's lovely writing though, really." Read more

"...Top notch world building combined with down to earth writing and multi-demensional characters that are easy to identify with make this into one of..." Read more

"...A very good mix of realistic and thoughtful intelligence work description and surprising twists. Highly recommended." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers like the character development. They say the characters are cool and well-rendered.

"...this book series, it twists in ways I never expected and the characters are cool and well rendered...." Read more

"...world building combined with down to earth writing and multi-demensional characters that are easy to identify with make this into one of best new..." Read more

"...Well written with complex characters at a pace that doesn't stop until the very end. This is a great book of the imagination, and well worth the read." Read more

"...Surreal. Awesomely odd yet familiar world. Great characters. Very good." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Robert J. Robinson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sequel: Increased complexity as the universe becomes more complicated.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A worthy sequel to the first in the series: Do not attempt to read this as a stand-alone, it will make no sense at all. The idea, oh-so gently introduced in the first novel, of a parallel Europe (“The Community”), is front and center from the beginning in this second novel. The complexity of this plot (or plots) is therefore exponentially greater than in the first novel, and at times I wished that I had a map myself (pun intended) to help navigate this strange universe. Nevertheless, very enjoyable, well-written, a superb blend of spy novel and science fiction. The best comparison I can make, both stylistically and thematically is to China Miéville, especially his later work, and specifically The City and The City, meets John le Carré (take your pick of his earlier work).
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Matthew G. Porter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Expect the unexpected
    Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2024
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    Love this book series, it twists in ways I never expected and the characters are cool and well rendered.

    I didn't know where the story would go after the first book. At first I was confused but by the end I was even more confused but in a good way!
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  • BigOrangeDave
    4.0 out of 5 stars Builds nicely on book 1
    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2018
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    The complexity of this unique world continues to be explored. My only complaint is that at times it's hard to keep track of exactly who's perspective is being presented. There is a constant shift between the community and in the real world and everyone is spying on everyone. That being said, this is still a wonderful series and I am looking forward to part three.

    I was very amused and impressed by the “Cronenberg" gun.... I am guessing that I am not the only Videodrome fan out there!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Paul ACCIAVATTI
    3.0 out of 5 stars confusing
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2016
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    I have to re-read this starting NOW because I have no idea what just happened. It's lovely writing though, really.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Scott Whitmore
    5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative & exciting sci-fi/spy thriller mash-up
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2016
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    Spies. Parallel universes. Sudden and unexpected twists. Time and perspective shifts — everything I liked about the first book, amplified. Europe at Midnight (The Fractured Europe Sequence Book 2) by Dave Hutchinson (@HutchinsonDave) is less a sequel than an expansion of the fascinating concept introduced in the first book (see my review of Europe in Autumn).

    I greatly enjoyed returning to this near-future version of Europe where a flu pandemic has greatly reduced the population and the map is in flux. New countries are created based on city borders, neighborhoods, or ethnic homelands — basically any somewhat-organized group can declare independence and create new borders to be crossed.

    At the same time, there is another version of Europe (or, more accurately, England) existing in parallel to a large swath of the continent: the Community. For security services on both sides, how and why this parallel dimension was created is less important than assessing the threat each poses to the other. The threats, it turns out, are substantial.

    The espionage aspects of this book reminded me of John le Carré or the best of Alistair MacLean. There are unpredictable twists and double crosses, and it was wonderful to be kept guessing about what would happen next. The hardest part of being immersed in this Fractured Europe is going to be waiting for the next installment.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Barry Melius
    4.0 out of 5 stars Confusing,complex,and satisfying-finally speculative fiction that delivers
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2018
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    Rudi,the protagonist of Europe at Midnight,is an occasional chef,a retired underground courier and a full time trouble maker. The near future Europe he lives in has gone thru hard times. A massive pandemic,disruptive population flows and terrorism have caused Europe to splinter into smaller and smaller independent states. Behind the scenes various power factions are orchestrating the seeming chaos and Rudi aims to strike back. Not a big chance of success but Rudi is tired of being a punching bag and is a formidable opponent in his own right. Aided by a few gifted friends he makes the good fight. Top notch world building combined with down to earth writing and multi-demensional characters that are easy to identify with make this into one of best new series to debut in recent years.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Theo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2016
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    This book is a follow up to the previous "Europe in Autumn", based on a pocket universe hidden in a future Europe, and the intrigues and skull-duggery that go on due to this place that was separated from the real Europe some 200 years ago. Well written with complex characters at a pace that doesn't stop until the very end. This is a great book of the imagination, and well worth the read.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars If you like John LaCarre you will probably like this book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2016
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    I agree with an earlier reviewer who said "Europe at Midnight isn’t so much a direct sequel to Europe in Autumn as it is a companion piece" however, it helps a lot if you have read Europe in Autumn, because you need to know what Couriers are and what they do to get the most from this book. If you like John LaCarre you will probably like this book. Like LaCarre the author does not spell everything out and trusts that the reader will fill in the appropriate blanks. The main role for fantasy in this book is to provide another "country" to the political mix. If you like espionage stories and you like LaCarre's style then I think you will like this book.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Dale MacLeod
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in Canada on October 6, 2017
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    Twists, turns, humour, and a brilliant ending. The originality of this series is incredible and the writing is masterful. I can't wait to read the next one!
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  • Andrew Wallace
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eve of War
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2017
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    One of the few good things about growing up in the 80s was the horror, be it in movies or a political reality that meant instant death after a four-minute warning. The emotion also underpinned spy fiction at the time in print and other media; Ian Bannen’s terrified expression when he is cornered at the beginning of the TV production of ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ is as terrifying as anything on Elm Street. Horror was a visceral response to the meeting in the human imagination of personal vulnerability and vast, impersonal forces – would we have been all that surprised if Raegan had turned out to be Cthulu?
    Since the end of the Cold War, spy fiction has struggled a bit. In the derivative, infantile 90s James Bond went up against media moguls and the like, who were hardly the nightmare figures of Goldfinger or Blofeld. It could look like irony that the best contemporary source of that bleak, realist thrill is Dave Hutchinson’s ‘Europe’ science fiction series, although much spy fiction shares the same roots as SF, perhaps because both genres are rooted in a sense of alienation. Spies are usually where they are not meant to be, and much is made of culture clashes and loosening grips on reality, not to mention outright SF like the brainwashing machine in ‘The Ipcress File’ movie, which takes these tropes to their logical extreme.
    Fittingly, I started the Europe series with ‘Europe at Midnight’, which at the time of writing is the middle book of a trilogy. I didn’t feel I’d lost anything by starting here, and have since been advised that it’s best to read the first book next, then the third because despite the rigorous narrative things get a bit timey wimey.
    Another SF element is that the series examines a fracturing Europe and was written before the loathsome EU referendum and its cretinous result. As the fallout from that calamity continues, it’s a curious feeling to read a novel that examines an alternative reality consisting of an idealised England that for all its Miss Marple-in-Ealing tweeness is dull, tasteless and psychopathic.
    Not since ‘The Man in the High Castle’ have I read a novel and wondered halfway through if in fact it was reading me. SF rightly celebrates its ability to inspire a sense of wonder; however, of equal value is a feeling of displacement from what we could call normal reality, but which could equally be a self-perpetuating bubble of deluded nationalism. Given the insidious fashioning of the national psyche by foreign-owned, tax-avoiding entities using push-button politics based on race to further purely commercial interests, such displacement has a political as well as imaginative urgency. Indeed, political science – always the poor relation to the gleaming cheerleaders of physics and astronomy – tends to enjoy a greater longevity than those improbable rockets filled with improbably singular racial crews. Everyone knows ‘1984’ even if they haven’t read it. Can we say the same about ‘Triplanetary?’.
    The hero here is a chef called Rudi from one of the alternative English realms. Known as the Campus, the place is a suitably Orwellian nightmare of intractable vested interests and abysmal facilities management. For all that, the place has a genuine sense of community, unlike another of the alternative realms called the Community that is anything but.
    There’s much in the novel to leaven its underlying, bracing bleakness. The two main things are humour, such as the line about the English not minding Europe providing they are in charge of it, and subtle, deft characterisation. The latter is best exemplified by the relationship with Rudi, who escapes into our realm, and Jim, his MI5 handler. It’s a relationship that survives missions over great lengths of time, with Jim’s concern for Rudi personal as well as professional, despite the awful situations Rudi is placed in while carrying out Jim’s instructions. That Jim is always working Rudi on one level or another despite his regard for him doesn’t make the outcome any less moving. Rather, the author’s grasp of genre is so subtle that it’s even woven into story’s emotions. Jim and Rudi are never completely sure of each other; their relationship a correlative for the political reality around them, as ‘our-world’ Europe breaks into ever-smaller corporate nation states. There are shades of ‘Neuromancer’ here, particularly in the super-wealthy walled European city/country that may be the data nexus for more than one reality. That Rudi can penetrate it due to an underestimate of sewage capacity is a brilliant and very English twist that leads to a predictably nauseating odyssey through a genuine underworld, accompanied by a psychopathic female torturer who I must guiltily admit is one of my favourite characters.
    She at least is honest, unlike the Community. The Community is nice. Really, jolly nice. It’s full of those villages John Major was always going on about; stodgy food and no bloody foreigners. The lower classes know their place, which is to shut up and get on with whatever lumbering tedium it is their betters don’t want to sully their soft, pink hands with, like farming and fishing. Some fishermen kick off, upset about their version of zero-hour contracts and are duly never heard of again. Spiffing.
    Then the Campus annoys the Community, and we come to a resolution that, like all the best horror, gets worse each time you read or think about it. The best that can be said about the sequence is the introduction of an SAS officer, who represents the best of Englishness with an insane degree of cheery practicality while doing his life-threatening, impossible job very well.
    I would recommend this book any time, but especially now. It has such a fine grasp of national identity and the author is such a good SF thriller writer that the drubbing he gives the various factions never feels vicious or partisan. The story achieves all the tensions and excitement I mentioned at the beginning of this review and takes them in new and unexpected directions. For all the bleakness, it never loses heart; particularly in the character of Rudi, who despite being an immigrant from another dimension embodies the kind of battered, bloody-minded intelligence and creative resolve that England can do so well.
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  • Peter Eerden
    4.0 out of 5 stars Book two was promised to deliver and did!
    Reviewed in Australia on May 31, 2018
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    The community has well and truly risen and is suddenly the issue rather than the solution to a world almost brought to its knees. There are still a few mysteries to get through so I must cut this review short to get to book three. Four stars was due to a bit of circuitous writing that kept me losing track if I put down my iPad. Solved that by binge reading to the end.
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  • Captain Pig
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent concept. Bit gloomy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2020
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    Really fascinating world building. Finding it a bit hard to keep track of everything. The only thing is, it's evocation of a post pandemic Europe that is fractured into a million stateless with an independent England struggling for relevance is a bit near the knuckle just at the moment.
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  • marsha l. reid
    4.0 out of 5 stars Worlds Collide - a great follw up to Euope in Autumn
    Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2016
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    Its a great follow up to Europe in Autumn. This time we learn more about the alternate universe of the Community. The story is told from the perspectives of two intelligence officers one in England whose in intelligence agency has secretly been gathering evidence of the existence of this possible alternate universe but has no definitive proof that it exists and one in part of the Community known as the Campus. Worlds collide when the intelligence officer of the Community crosses over to Europe. Its not entirely clear where the story is going, but I enjoyed the ride. Hutchinson raises very interesting ideas and its interesting to read in the current political context of rising nationalism in Europe.
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